It is to be understood that the present invention discloses an improvement modification assembly to a machine for processing the backs of various fowl, which would include but not necessarily be limited to old and young chickens, at least small turkeys, ducks, and guineas, but for simplicity the same are hereinafter defined by the generic term "poultry".
Additionally, specific reference is herein made to the instant applicants previous inventive disclosure as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,282 dated Jan. 6, 1976, to Martin et al, wherein an exemplary machine for processing the backs of poultry, to which the instant improvement modification disclosure is adapted to be operationally installed, is illustrated and described in detail.
In the mechanically automated processing of poultry back members to recover the rather scant amount of lean meat contained thereon, which meat, if cleanly removed absent an inclusion of organ or fat tissue or contaminating bone fiber, may be employed as an ingredient in combination with other more expensive meats in the preparation of all meat frankfurters and other such process meat products. However, in view of the current and evolving strictly enforced government regulations requiring that only lean meat from poultry backs may be used in all meat process products, and since highly reliable mechanically automated removal of both the kidneys and fatty tissue from the interior surfaces of poultry backs has not heretofore been available, and further since completely manual or simple mechanically augmented manual interior fatty tissue and kidney removal means are neither operationally or economically competitive with mechanically automated removal means, practically speaking all poultry back meat currently removed by mechanically automated means as a consequence of regulation is of necessity relegated to use in less expensive foodstuff products such as soups and the like.
The subject of the instant invention comprises a poultry back processing machine improvement modification which is designed to conveyably position and spread the respective depending flank sections of a series of poultry back members introduced to the machine, automatically remove the fatty tissue from the interior surfaces thereof, and further supportably convey the poultry back members in an angularly depending flank-extended configuration for automatic kidney retaining membrane severing and automatic kidney removal by vacuum means, thereby delivering poultry back members for further external surface processing and meat removal wherein said members have the interior surface fatty tissue and kidneys removed therefrom.
The instant invention is distinguishable from said earlier invention and prior poultry back processing means in one or more ways in that the present invention has utility features and new and useful advantages, applications, and improvements in the art of processing mechanism to accomplish removal of fatty tissue and kidneys from poultry back members not heretofore disclosed, as set forth hereinafter.